The Mustard Tree

The Starting Point team are proud to present their impact report from 2025.

Throughout 2025 the young people have faced increasing challenges, with securing work within the current employment landscape, alongside their wellbeing during the mental health crisis. We have continued to provide support through mentoring, the Hub, creative opportunities, and amplifying their voices – empowering them to make and sustain positive change in themselves and their community.

Thank you to all our volunteers and partners who have enabled this work to continue.

“I really appreciated our time just getting to talk through some stuff and feeling so supported!”
Young person

You can read the full report on their website at startingpoint.org.uk/news/impact2025/

The April newsletter from the Engage Befriending team is ready for you to read.

This issue, there a feature on keeping your mind well and active, a quiz about Reading, tips to help you feel calmer, and other facts and puzzles.

To read it visit their website at: engage-uk.org/our-monthly-newsletter

Join us as our Rahab Outreach Worker and help bring hope and transformation to women facing complex challenges.

16 hrs/week • £29k FTE

Please see our website for further information: rahab.co.uk/blogandnews

At the Mustard Tree we believe prayer has power.

We regularly compile a bulletin detailing current areas and situations you can pray for us in.

Our March bulletin is now ready to read on our website: themustardtree.org/2026/03/09/prayer-bulletin-march-26/

Thank you for all your support.
🙏

Would you thrive in a varied role where every day brings opportunities to support others and strengthen community? You could be our new Operations Administrator.

You would manage a variety of administrative tasks and create a positive and welcoming experience for our service beneficiaries, volunteers and partners. This role will suit someone who is organised and proactive and has strong communication and interpersonal skills. It is for 15 hrs per week with a salary ranging from £25-27k FTE dependant on your experience.

For more information please visit our website: https://themustardtree.org/2026/03/04/were-recruiting/

We are pleased to present the 2025 Impact report for our Rahab RDG programme

In 2025, we were out over 200 times, – including 40 daytime sessions – supporting over 50 different women through our team of amazing volunteers.

To read more about our work in 2025, visit the website at: rahab.co.uk/blogandnews

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Meet Dan! He is running the Reading half marathon on behalf of Engage Befriending .

Here’s why:
“My mum is the Engage manager and when she talks about the stories of the people who Engage work with, it really speaks to me. No one in their older age should be lonely or isolated.
So your donations will people feel less isolated and help the charity to recruit and train volunteers to visit people at home as well as support the monthly drop-in for the clients where they can meet up with each other and make friends”

To help make a difference to elderly people in Reading, and to sponsor Dan, visit his JustGiving page here: justgiving.com/page/daniel-curtis-199997

Thank you
💚🙏

The March newsletter from the Engage Befriending team is ready for you to read.

This issue, we have a feature on the ‘message in a bottle’ initiative, Pie facts, and puzzles.

To read it visit the Engage website: engage-uk.org/our-monthly-newsletter

Creativity was flowing this week!

Our Rahab RDG project is part of a multi-agency women’s drop-in, who spent their time making collages focused on identity and future goals.

The multi-agency women’s drop-in is a safe, welcoming space, open to all women.

📍 City Gate, Suite 1, Reading, RG1 2QW
🕓 4pm – 7pm
🗓️ Every Wednesday

To celebrate one year of Padel, our friends at The Atrium, are hosting various events across the weekend.

They are hosting another friendly charity padel tournament, with all proceeds from the evening going to the Mustard Tree.

Friday 13th February from 6pm.

It promises to be a great evening of padel, combined with The Atrium’s incredible hospitality, all in support of a fantastic cause.

The only thing we can’t guarantee is that it’ll be a balmy, hot, sunny evening — but the padel will be worth it!

To register visit: www.playtomic.com and search for The Atrium Health Club
or for more visit www.theatriumhealthclub.co.uk

The Atrium Health Club

We are delighted to share with you the Impact Statement for 2025 for our Engage Befriending programme.

We have 162 service users being befriended by 81 volunteers (that’s 3,888 volunteer hours in the year). We send our newsletter to 138 recipients sharing news and views from ourselves and some of our partners. We also hosted 13 drop-in events in the year.

To read the Impact Statement in full, visit the news page on the Engage website: engage-uk.org/news/

Thank you to all those who made all of this possible.

💚🙏

The February newsletter from the Engage Befriending team is ready for you to read.

This issue, we have a feature on staying safe in icy weather, information about a dementia club in Reading, plus February facts, internet help and puzzles.

To read it visit the newsletter page on their website: engage-uk.org/our-monthly-newsletter/